Sewing machines relatively moves a needle dropping position in accordance with embroidery data, and sews an embroidery pattern indicated by the embroidery data on a sewing object, such as a cloth and a leather. Such sewing machines stretches and holds the sewing object by an embroidery frame, and horizontally moves the embroidery frame along the plane of a bed unit, and changes the needle dropping position. The operation procedure to form an embroidery pattern is described in the embroidery data. For example, moving amount information of the embroidery frame for reaching the next seam is listed in the embroidery data. This moving amount information can also be considered as the relative coordinates of a seam.
As for embroidery patterns, a large and complicated pattern may be formed by, for example, 200000 stitches or more. It takes over 7 hours or more to complete the sewing even if a sewing-machine motor is continuously rotated at, for example, 500 rpm.
An embroidery pattern may be formed by a plurality of embroidery blocks. Sewing machines which sew the embroidery pattern formed by the plurality of embroidery blocks once intermits the sewing machine motor when sewing of one embroidery block is completed, and only moves the embroidery frame to transit to the sewing of the next embroidery block. This sequential operation is called a jump operation. Since the sewing-machine motor is deactivated, the jump operation requires a time longer than a seam formation operation of inserting a needle to the sewing object.
In addition, an embroidery pattern may be formed by a plurality of colored threads. Sewing machines which sew the embroidery pattern formed by the plurality of colored threads, intermits the sewing machine motor in order to change the thread to a thread with the next color, and stand by until a user depresses a start button after the user changes the colored thread. This sequential operation is called a color changing operation. Since the color changing operation involves the user's work, the color changing operation requires a time longer than the seam formation operation. When the user is absent at the timing of the color changing operation or the user is unexperienced in the color changing operation, the required time becomes further long.
Accordingly, as for the embroidery pattern formed by 200000 stitches or more, at least 10 hours or longer are required in many cases. However, the user cannot concentrate on only the sewing. Hence, conventionally, a technology of calculating a completion time of an embroidery pattern by a sewing machine, and presenting the calculated time to the user has been proposed (see, for example, JP 2001-113068 A and Japan Patent No. 2649798). When the completion time of the embroidery pattern is known, the user can easily plan a schedule regarding the sewing machine embroidery.
In addition, when sewing of an embroidery pattern requires a large amount of time, the user may want to simultaneously carry out other works, such as shopping and cleaning, along with the sewing work. Hence, a technology of calculating the required time for each colored thread by the sewing machine, and presenting the calculated time to the user has also been proposed (see, for example, JP 2000-296282 A). Presenting the calculated time allows the user to know a time interval between the next color change and the further next color change, facilitating the user to simultaneously carry out the other works, such as shopping and cleaning.
When the timing which the user should carry out an activity, such as an appointment for a lunch with a friend, other than the sewing has been set, it is difficult for the user to simultaneously carry out other works with the sewing of the embroidery pattern that requires at least 10 hours or more even if the completion time for the embroidery pattern is known.
In addition, even if each required time for each colored thread is individually presented, the activity that can be taken within the necessary time is limited, making it difficult for the user to plan a schedule considering both an activity with a set timing, such as an appointment for a lunch with a friend, and the sewing machine embroidery.
Hence, when the user attempts to set a schedule considering both the sewing and other activities that require time, the user needs to keep watching a clock or to set an alarm in a way that the time will not elapse due to the user's concentration on the sewing work. That is, the user has no choice but to continue the sewing work under the schedule management toward the timing set by the user.
Moreover, even the timing set by the user comes, the user cannot forcibly suspend the embroidery in the halfway of the procedure, cut the thread to put up the sewing machine and the embroidery creation. If the embroidery is forcibly terminated in the halfway of the procedure, even when the embroidery is resumed from the subsequent seam, the seams are not connected smoothly, and the quality of the embroidery creation decreases. In the case of a large and complicated embroidery pattern, however, it is quite difficult for the user to pay attention to the advancement of the embroidery pattern and the prediction of the sewing-machine operation up to the finish of the embroidery pattern, and to determine an appropriate suspension timing of the sewing, decreasing the motivation for sewing the embroidery pattern.
The present disclosure has been proposed in order to address the foregoing technical problems of conventional technologies, and an objective is to provide a sewing machine capable of suspending sewing of an embroidery pattern at a free and appropriate timing set by a user without causing the user to pay attention.